Search

My Other Blog

My NYT Bestseller!

What's a Wreck?

A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

You guys keep asking for 'em, so who am I to deprive you of some rich schadenfreude?

What the bride wanted:

Personally I think the dripping ganache thing looks a little Sylar-esque, but it turns out that's intentional; the happy couple planned to use a Corpse Bride topper, and so wanted an elegant Gothic vibe.

Instead, they got more of a dumpy glazed-doughnut vibe:

[snickering] I'm sorry, but I think I'm in love with this photo. As you scroll down, first you see the incredulous expression on the bride's face (she's the one in green), and then...THE WRECK. Hah! Hoo boy, that's good stuff. In fact, I've been amusing myself by picturing a little thought bubble over her head, and filling in the blanks*. Hehheheh.

Fortunately she didn't let it ruin her big day, though: you can read the bride's account of everything on her blog here.

And here's a better view of the Wreckage:

Niiiice. That chocolate looks positively...crinkly. On the (literal) bright side, though, the blindingly reflective "rose leaves" prevented any of the guests from looking directly at the cake. See, Christiana M.? There's a silver lining to everything!

*But why should I have all the fun? Give me your best caption in the comments. The one that makes John giggle 'til he snorts wins!

I think I sort of know what happened. The bride requested "two layers." Technically, that cake is two layers. However, she obviously mean to "tiers." To look like the photo, each cake would have several layers. The baker should have known better, or if there was some confusion, he should have called the bride to clarify. He obviously couldn't make a cake like the picture with only two layers. Well, if he were really skilled, maybe, but he's obviously not really skilled. However, despite the possible miscommunication, there's no excuse for the crackly ganache and ugly rosebuds.

@RubySlippers - Thanks for the clarification. I've never planned or paid for a wedding, so I don't know how expensive they are. The prices you quoted do seem pretty high.

I don't think that you should assume every cake under X dollars is a wreck, but it's reasonable to assume the level of skill and effort that goes into it are less than that of a more expensive one, especially if you get several quotes that are more expensive. When I buy a pair of headphones that are $5 they might work fine, but I assume that the other ones on the shelf that are all $20 are probably better.

@Gwen - I'm not sure the bakery ever has a responsibility to turn down a customer. No salesperson is going to turn down business, especially if the person making the sale is different from the one assigned to make the cake. However, I do think if the bride was not satisfied with her purchase, she has every right to a refund and the bakery has a responsibility to fulfill that obligation. I would point out in this case that the bakery made the right decision. It appears they made the sale, they provided an inferior product, they were never questioned about it, and didn't receive any bad press about it. If there's no consequence, why would they turn down the sale?

(And this is now going to be forwarded to the brides-to-be in my life--two of my friends are getting married soon, and I want to ensure they understand the importance of ensuring the baker knows what the heck they're doing.)

Firstly: I think the original cake was made with BUTTERCREAM by someone who knows how to use GANACHE CORRECTLY. The second was made with FONDANT by some who used cheap COUVERTURE and INCORRECTLY. Basically in a nutshell - they had no idea what they were doing!

And secondly :@verizonbeans who said: "Again, I beg you to stop putting asterisks in the copy then making us scroll all the way to the bottom of the post, then all the way back up. I hate that!"

I've only one thing to say to that - If you don't like the way Jen does her blog then don't read it. Go to another site. No ones nailed your little tail to the floor here.